Woakes and Butller Leads England to Thrilling Comeback
Right through this match game , Misbah has largely remained cooped up within the room , incognito behind his laptop screen as Azhar Ali called all the shots within the middle. But come the fourth afternoon in Manchester, Misbah couldn't afford to try to to that. He was call at the daylight, very similar to Younis Khan throughout this match game , trying to urge a message across to the Pakistan captain.
All that because his side, hitherto favourites to win, were losing the plot against Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes's counterattack. and that is what would bring them down in Manchester, this entertaining, defining, sometimes mind-boggling sixth-wicket partnership of 139 coming at 4.2 runs per over, spurring on a memorable come-from-behind victory by three wickets for England.
The defining partnership was actually much quicker than what the scorecard suggests. When Buttler walked out with England at 117/5 and staring down the barrel during a 277-run chase, he wasted no time on a pitch playing enough tricks. Ten balls and a few of canopy drives into his innings, he was already reverse-sweeping Yasir Shah out of the rough. it had been commendable how that specific shot, played right after Ollie Pope had gloved behind an unplayable delivery from Shaheen Afridi, would become the lasting image of his innings.
It helped that Buttler had Chris Woakes for company at the opposite end, scoring his runs as quickly, as deftly, as elegantly. And who would stay with 84 not out and take England home... after Buttler had perished playing his stubborn, lovely, memorable reverse-sweep.
The carnage that the 2 began before the coffee break continued on the opposite side too, despite everything Pakistan threw at them. Azhar Ali brought back Mohammad Abbas to prevent the runs, if not break the partnership which was only fifty then. Five overs and zip . Yasir took over, switched to around the wicket, then back to over and back to round, but England marched on. Shadab Khan at the opposite end had conceded 12 runs in his two overs and was replaced by Naseem Shah already. Pakistan didn't know just the way to revisit into the match.
Even Younis Khan had stopped scribbling in his notebook, so intense was the cricket on show.
The winning shot from Chris Woakes was an outdoor edge through slips, something rather diagnostic his side's rub of the green. They sure needed a touch of luck to stay out Yasir who was bent turning things around with the old ball and new. England were still 49 away when a foothold from Woakes fell in need of second slip. which wasn't the sole close call . variety of inside edges, outside edges evaded the fielder, plays-and-misses went begging. Even the pacers were up against it; variety of botched pull shots and checked cover drives landing safe. But it had been what it had been within the end.
All of it could are much easier for England, had Yasir (33 off 24) not scored those three quick boundaries and a six earlier this morning. He teed off with two crisp boundaries within the first over of the day by Jofra Archer. Both of them came against quick short balls, one a pull ahead of square and another a ramp over the keeper's head. Stuart Broad was then shovelled through mid-wicket next over, before being launched over leg-side for a six. His cameo ensured Pakistan need to 169, taking the lead well past 250.
Yasir did all he could, scoring all those runs within the morning and backing it up with another four-wicket haul within the second innings. He even dismissed Ben Stokes with a googly that shot up from the rough, but he had little support from the pacers who found little to no reverse swing with the old ball. The odd ball did begin or stay low, but goodies didn't happen when Pakistan needed them to.
Chris Woakes had spoken of being "capable of miracles" after the third day's play. Of course, he wasn't pertaining to himself. (With a high score of 37 within the last two years, you almost certainly can't.) Woakes was instead speaking about Stokes, knowing little that he would be the one to invoke the spirit of Headingley only a couple of hours later. None of what Misbah had to mention today mattered within the end.
Brief scores: Pakistan 326 and 169 (Yasir Shah 33; Stuart Broad 3-37) lost to England 219 & 277/7 ( Woakes 84*, Buttler 75; Yasir 4-99) by 3 wickets
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